This invention is generally directed to imaging members, and, more specifically, the present invention is directed to improved multilayered imaging members with a hole blocking layer preferably situated in between the supporting substrate and the photogenerating layer, and which layer is comprised of a crosslinked siloxane polymer wherein an electron transporting moiety represented by Formula (I) has been covalently bonded as a pendant segment to the polymer backbone: ##STR3## where R' and R" are substituents independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, halogen, alkyl, alkoxy, alkoxycarbonyl, acyl, cyano, nitro, and the like. The primary function of the hole blocking layer is to prevent dark injection of holes from the supporting substrate into the photogenerating layer, thereby eliminating or minimizing high dark decay and/or charge deficient spot problems.
The imaging members of the present invention in embodiments exhibit excellent electrical properties, cyclic and environmental stability, and substantially no adverse changes in performance over extended time periods. Processes of imaging, especially xerographic imaging and printing, including digital, are also encompassed by the present invention. More specifically, the layered photoconductive imaging members can be selected for a number of different known imaging and printing processes including, for example, electrophotographic imaging processes, especially xerographic imaging and printing processes wherein negatively charged images are rendered visible with toner compositions of an appropriate charge polarity. Moreover, the imaging members of this invention are preferably useful in color xerographic applications where several color printings can be achieved in a single pass. The imaging members as indicated herein are in embodiments sensitive in the wavelength region of, for example, from about 450 to about 900 nanometers, and in particular, from about 700 to about 850 nanometers, thus diode lasers can be selected as the light source.